The Center for Planning Excellence is going virtual this year for its 15th annual summit, which will focus on the intersection of public health, climate change and equity.
Amid a global pandemic, at a time when record wildfires are burning in the West and the Atlantic basin is experiencing one of its busiest hurricane seasons in years, the interrelated issues are more important than ever, says CPEX Executive Director Camille Manning Broome.
“Life is challenging right now; everyone has a lot going on and it’s all consuming with COVID-19, Broome says. “But what a huge opportunity to be missed if we were to set aside climate change and not address it, because it is the big looming disaster that is constant and is only going to get worse.”
Unlike years past, when the summit was held over multiple days, this year’s event will feature six two-hour speeches and panel discussions spaced over several weeks from late September through mid-November.
The theme of the summit is Defining the New Normal, a subject Dr. Michael Oppenheimer will address in his speech to the virtual crowd. His speech will be tailored specifically to discuss issues related to the climate crisis in Louisiana.
Oppenheimer is an international expert on climate change, who serves on the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change and has written more than 200 articles on the subject. He currently holds an endowed professorship at Princeton and is a science adviser to the Environmental Defense Fund.
“We’re really excited to have the leading scientist on climate change write a specific address just for Louisiana,” Broome says. “That is really remarkable.”
Oppenheimer’s speech is Oct. 20. The other panel discussions are: Climate & COVID-19: The Diabolical Duo; Relapse or Resilience: Healthy Community Design; Green Infrastructure in the Delta; Conscious Consumerism: Uplifting Black Businesses; and Urban Adaptations for Uncertain Times.
The first panel is scheduled for Sept. 29. For more information or to register, click here.
